Driving mechanism for counters



06:. 31, 1933. OCHSENBEM 1,932,908

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR COUNTERS Filed April 1, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 31, 1933.

w. OCHSENBEIN DRIVING MECHANISM FOR COUNTERS Filed April 1, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 2 Villa 0, engagedand'is afterwardsengaged; J I A a W As {there are no springs 'in the j entire appa Patented -Oet.31 19 33 V-F-DRVIYING MECHANISM ron COUNTER-SJ H ji fi-Ciaini sa (c apels) "jThi s invention relates to driving nieehanism for counting devices comprisin driving 'wheets' hav ing adjustable teeth, suoh asis preferably used for example in stamping machines,. in which as is known only *a' totalling ofthe numbers or stamp values takes place. Q f a v I Various proposals have heretofore' been a made. to seeure, the number j discs of oalc ul ating machines" against rotation or advance 1 when they are not being driven or are not ingmoving con; nection with the driving wheelsgf Asa rule twe 'alrinfecl locking levers are usenifor this purpqse,

which 1ev'er -coneo1w1th one end a ratchet 01 -other end by eamsfl'onstops-fof the associated driving wheel. devices in'iwhich' the gilriving V v wheel has to be axially displaeedffor driving the countenthameshing o f' the said. whee li vvith a the teeth, of the" counter is aceomplished'f with difiiculty when the; teeth do not fit one another exactly. In the usual type of this device, the loekingvlev er is heldsonly by a spring and the auva tagespr positivel'loek are lost. jpresentjinvention"has'for one of i hanismj of the" "kind referred "to, "flanking stamping; machines, positive I lock, namely one wherein springs a emmoy'ed,

V v 53 ream endv the locking fleverengages two earns over thelaterally.projeQtihg driving.

teethor over a lateral rim of 'th'e driving wheel and. i itively move fby? t e I qtat n dr vin wheel" "bf i a one andiisheld therei f I a V {Forthe tenslt nsfergbthe locking lever bears "tion wan a 'c ha gefover 'membenniove'd with the tensfltransife v ember so that during the transference ofgthe tens the loekingglever is disratus "the"device-'for' "clrivingfthe eounter" op: w atesre iably: 5; Other "jfeatnr ofjthe invention "will be described ihereinaftel fa 1 pointed-j out ini th c1aims'."j V. r One embodimentof the-invention and a modine an Figuresj4 and 5showf th .device in two different positions;

di fferent poslit ions i .7 t K v. Referring first to Figures l 'to s ofthe d ratvings, driving Wheels 2 are arr ngedonpfhorizontal' jintoits otheriend positions t I tate in the rdirec tionfof the arro shown in 'ure 1, th gteethgsmftea radially, outward, 1 against a member which is in movingfeonneeg ficat qn thereof arejdiagrammatically illustrated;

operative position, a'nd n ln en l in Figure '6 is apla'n of v a eolinter drivifnlg nie cha' -l nism with; its* associated locking; lever and tens transfer 1eve1 ,a'n'dfl I H v "Figure [shows one single tens transfer lever as ie fr m ov v v Figure 8 is 'a plan viewof a single locking lever Qithetens transfer 1 ever,; and ,1 I Figures}? and 10 are elevations showing a 'mqde ifi'eation of the tens transfer hollow eylinder' 1 one be'sikief another as usually in -eztlculatings machinesof this'jkind; the teeth '3 of thesewheelstaregmovableinradial,grooves, and] engage"infknown manner with a'pinffib t bviate thesefdef ects and'fftdfensure n iaszisos nechanismjn twoi outwards and thereby shiftedout of the normal or rest position fshown in'Figu'resl and "2, into the Working position; and reversely.' Each tooth has at itsouter}end' a laterally "projecting rung,

V 3a which,'-vwhen the? toothvis retracted, lies in a V The rungs ofjhe 3 I? of the drivirigWhelsjin Figure: lrfaeihgthbb:

tata'ble aihorizontal fixed axle 25. vThis 'l ever' 2 6}has (two laterallyvpr'ojecting cams 30' and 3;

server. The gea wheel 6 that drivesanumber disc is controlledbyflaloeking lever 2&3v freely r6 which engagefrom .thek-si deof the driving teeth or; lateral row of teethLBa of, the driving Wheel and it srim 5' as the wheel rotates.

,A plurality .pf levers 13 each havin rotatable on the axle 25,.jonefbeside theseco d, third; and fourth idlervwheelsfi and oppositefthe assoeiatedj locking "lever, 26.] The 'two claws 11 seral dogsor claws l1 and. .;,12 are arranged free1yform a conical inlet or mouthpiece for a feed rung 14 of a feed tooth 15 that is free to move radially (from below in Figure 2) in the second, third and fourth driving wheels. The tooth 15 carries in line with the rung 14, i. e. on the side of the rungs of the teeth 3, a rung 16 which extends within range of the cams 30 and 31 of the associated locking lever 26.

The tooth 15 is followed on the side of the rung 14 by a resetting pin 17 (Fig. 1) by which, after the tens have been fed, the tens feed lever 13 is returned out of its operative position (Fig. 3) into its rest position. i

The tens shifting lever 13 (Fig. '7) has a laterally displaced extension 18 that projects down' wards beyond the axle 25 and has a nose 20 extending upwards within reach of a tens shifting cam 19. This cam 19 is firmly connected with the front lower number idler wheel 6* in Figure 3 and at each revolution of the latter moves the lever 13 out of its rest position (Figure 1) into its operative position (Figure 3).

In order that the lever 13 shall remain in the position into which it is adjusted the extension 18 is provided with two notches 21 and 22, with which a pawl 23 engages. This pawl is held in engagement under gravity with, one or other'of these notches by an arm 24 mounted on the'hub of the pawl at one side of the latter. All the pawls 23, and arms 24 are freely rotatable on an axle 23' common to them all. The arm 24 lies in the plane of the rung 14 of the driving wheel belonging to the next order and is guided along the path of'this rung.

The feed teeth 15 and pins 17 of the successive driving wheels are staggered relatively to one another on the periphery, and consequently atens transfer imparted to a counterwheel does not synchronize with a movement by the associated driving wheel imparted to thecounter wheel.

The length and position of each arm 24 is such that it is engaged by the pin 17 of the driving wheel of the next higher order to hold the arm from swinging upward during the time of such engagement. The pins 17 and 14 of wheelsof successive orders are so spaced circumferentially of the wheels that the pin 17'of one orderremains in engagement with the arm 24 which it controls until the pin or rung 14 of the'next order has completely passed through the space between the claws 11 and 12 of the correspondinglever 13 and the advancement of the number wheel one digit has been completed. Pawl 23 therefore cannot disengage from notch 22 until this has been accomplished and the pin or rungl'l moved to free arm 24. Consequently the 1ever'113 cannot, prior to this, be forced out of feeding position in case moving ofthe tens feed rung in one direction or the other is hinderedby thickening or lubricating oil, or by other cause. I

,When the driving wheels rotate, the pawls" 26 are controlled by the rungs in the'manner. de scribed above, i. e; the pawls are brought into and out of engagement with the driving wheel 6'in that manner. For feeding the tens, hundreds and thousands discs, when a change occurs from 9 to O'the tens feed lever 13 is reversed from its rest position (Figure 1) into its operative position (Figure 3) by the tens feed cam 19; When the feed tooth 14, 15 of the appertaining driving wheel enters between the claws 1 1 and'12 of the tens feed lever 13, the feed tooth is so'set by the one claw or theother, according to the momentary position of thetooth; that it engages withthe driving wheel 6" of the number disc.- Therunglfi simultaneously engages with the locking lever 26 and forces the same out (see Figure 5). In order to permit the tooth 14 to move inwardly of the driving wheel the lateral rim 5 of the driving wheel has at its feed tooth a recess 16 to receive the rung 14. As soon as the tens feed is finished the tens feed pawl 13 is turned back by the pin 17 into its rest position, and the locking lever 26 is brought into engagement again with the driving wheel 6 by the side rim 5 of the driving wheel.

By means of this counter driving device quiet, i. e. noiseless operation is obtained even when the machine, e. g; a franking stamping machine in which the counter is incorporated, runs at an abnormally high'speed and several values are fed quickly. one after another.

According to the modification shown in Figures 9 and 10, the safety lever 24 of the construction illustrated in Figures 1 to 8 is formed as a weighted lever for the pawl 23, and on the tens feed lever 13 a locking rim 32 is arranged beside the claw. 12 so as to provide a groove 33. A locking pin 34 projecting laterally from the corresponding driving wheel 2 coac'ts with the rim or edge 32in such a manner that when the pin 34 passes on the inner or outer side of the rim 32 the tens feed lever cannot be reversed fromits one to its other end position before the feed" tooth 14, 16 has passed between the claws of thetens feed lever 13 and of the locking lever, not shown, and feed of 105 the tens has occurred. The feed teeth of the various driving wheels are likewise staggered relatively to one another;

, As will be understood from the above the locking of the idler wheel for the number discs is controlled positively both during the drive by the driving wheelsand also when the tens are being transferred. "No springs are present in the entire mechanism, and consequently breakdowns due to broken springs cannot occur.

' 1. In a machine of the kind described, wherein driving wheels have adjustable teeth, a counter driving mechanism comprising number-disc idler-wheels cooperating with the driving'wheels, 120 and locking levers normally locking the idler wheels which locking levers have each two cams extending transversely of laterally projecting rungs on the driving teeth, and are arranged to be adjusted positively by the rotating driving 5 wheels out of the one and into the otherend position andto be held therein.

2. In a machine of the kind described, wherein driving wheels have adjustable teeth, a counter driving mechanism comprising number-disc idlerwheels cooperating with the driving wheels, and locking levers normally locking'the idler wheels, which locking levers have each two cams extending transversely of a lateral rim on, the corresponding driving wheel, and are arranged to be adjusted positively by the rotating driving wheels out of the one and into the other end position and to be held therein.

3. Counter-driving mechanism comprising in combination an idler wheel of one order,-a cam rotatable therewith, a second idler wheel of, the next higher order, a locking lever for controlling said second wheel, a feed tooth that is movable on a driving wheel and has two rungs, whereof one controls said lever, a control lever having 145 two arms whereof one carriestwo lateral claws for coacting with the second rung and controlling said tooth, the second arm of which control lever is'so' adjusted by said cam that said tooth is brought by the controhlever into engage 150 idler Wheel is fed one'tooth'.

, g I e 1,932,908 ment withthe second idler wheel, thelockingleverfis disengaged from thelatter, and the seeond 4. Counter drivingx mechanism claim 3, wherein the control lever for the tens has an extension with two notches, a pawl serves for engaging therewith, which pawl is firmly con nected with a loaded arm displaced laterally relatively thereto, which loaded arm is situated in the plane ofthe rung of the next driving wheel in front thereofand is of suchllength that 'it allows a reversal'of the control lever having claws for feeding the tens "only'when its path of oscillation'is liberated by a resetting pin that follows the rowof rungs V I .5. Counter driving mechanism according to 1 claim 3, wherein the control lever having claws carries a lockingrimproviding a groove between one into itsother end position is not possible as 1 7 long as the feed tooth issituated between they claws of the locking lever and the control lever it and a claw, with whichrim a locking pin provided on thecorresponding driving wheel cooperates in such a manner thatthe reversal of the control lever for feedingthe tens out of its and the tens transference is not completed.

according to between said jaws.

6. In a device of the kinddescribed, a driving revolution of the first idler wheel, a locking lever having a lug engaging between the teeth of the a second idler wheel and provided with a pair of spaced and flaring jaws between which the rung on one side of the member passes, said jaws being arranged to cam the lever upon passage of the rung'jand thereby free the secondidler wheel, a secondlever having similar jaws between which the remaining rung passes, a lug on the second lever normally in the path, of the transfer cam,

and means to positively latchthe second lever against movement by the'transfer cam until the last mentioned rung has passed th'rough'the space WALTER OCHSENBEIN; 

